Improvement in propelling boats on canals



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(glia STATES PATEN'I'.4 OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. GOODWIN, OF METUOHEN, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, JAMES T. SAN FORD, AND GEORGE W. SAN FORD," OF NEW YORK CITY.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRCPELLING B OATS ON CANALS.-

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 98,760, dated January 11, 1870.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM F. GOODWIN, ofMetuchen, county of Middlesex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Canal-Boats, `of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawingmakingpart of this specification, in which- Figure l is aplan or top view; and Fig. 2 is Wa longitudinal section taken in the line y y,

Fig. 2. v

Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in both figures.

My invention has for its object the construction of a canal-boat, and the combination therewith of a propelling-wheel, driven by power located on the boat, adapted, as a whole, to obviate thewashing of the banks ofthe canala difficulty heretofore experienced in the nuvInerous attempts to propel canal-boats in this the surface of the water, moving or vibrating upon or around the driving-shaft as a center, the arrangement being such that the entire body of water to be displaced by the boat is in-A closed between the forwardly-projecting sides,

and is, by the operation ofthe propelling-wheel, -forced underneath the'body of the boat.

In the accompanying drawings, Arepresents the body of the boat, which is made with ailat bottom and straight parallel sides A1, and with the ends A2 made curved or inclined, or having the Vrake ordinarily designated as a scow. lAt the forward end of the boat the sides Al project sufficiently to inclose the floating propelling-wheel, as shown at A3, said projecting ends A3 being made of uniform or nearly uniform width or depth with the sides, and united at their upper faces, in front of the wheel, by a cross-piece or beam, a. B is the propellingwheel, which is made in the form of a hollow air-tight drum or barrel, of any suitable material, and is provided,.on its periphery, with paddles b,- of any suitable form and depth, the

in such mannerthat all movement of the wheel,

in conforming to the surface of the water, independently of the boat, sha-l1 be around said' shaft as a center,4 thereby avoiding any disturbance in the working relations of the driv ing mechanism. The arms C work i'n boxes or water-tight compartments E at the sides of the boat, which permit the requisite play of said arms to accommodate the wheel to the varying depth ,tov which the boat may be laden.

The wheel B is represented as being driven from shaft D by means of chains F and sprocketwheels d d on shaft D, and d d on the shaft of the propelling-wheel B; but any suitable arrangement of gearing may be used for the purpose.

In the drawing I have represented the sides A1 of the boat as extending in rear ofthe rake of the stern and terminating in a vertical end, and also as extending slightlybelow the bottom of the boat 5 and this construction is believed to be of service in further assist'V ing to prevent outward swell and washing of turn is continuously forced under the boat and escapes at the stern, and in such manner as to avoid all washing of the banks incident to the employment of the various constructions heretofore used.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A canal-boat having straight sides, which extend from end to end the full length of the boat and project in front of the rake or closed end thereof suoiently to inclose a propelling- Wheel located in front ofthe bow ofthe boat.

2. A oztting propeller-Wheel, travelingin e front of the boat for the double purpose of drawing the boat and displacing the Water by driving it under the bottom.

3. The floating propeller-Wheel connected said shaft as a center.

WM. F.`GOODW'IN.

' Witnesses:

ALEX. Medion,v H. H; DOUBLEDAY, 

